Ugh. Another Model S fire - 2013-11-06

[sub]

you can not compare an incident with a tesla to any other car right now imo, tesla is front and center with unique technology and therefore any problems with it are going to be glorified and in the news. We get that there are a couple hundred thousand ice fires a year, but nobody cares about those because it's old news. Tesla better jump on this one real quick, I would say having a team in route within hours is a good start.

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

Has Tesla really been impacted by the two previous fires?

The first fire has been thoroughly explained. And as I understand it, the second one was caused by the driver going over what almost literally equates to a tank obstacle, then through a quite substantial concrete wall, and finally crashing into a tree (!)

Honestly, I don’t think it’s far fetched at all to expect a perfectly viable explanation for this one as well.

Yes, we currently don’t know what caused this one, but the two others can be explained. If everyone who has a vested interest in Tesla, and the cause of sustainable transport just go through the facts with friends and family if need be, I think that will go a long way.

…/ Car fires are commonplace, which is why you almost never hear about it on the news unless there's a multiple fatality involved. I've come across burning cars on the road on more than a few occasions. In fact I have taken a picture of a burning minivan from inside my Model S.

We have to put things in perspective. Cars catch fire - to the tune of 30 an hour in the USA. Statistically speaking, it's pretty much a certainty that every time there's been a Tesla on fire there have been multiple ICE cars on fire at the exact same time.

…/ an average of over 500 vehicles/day caught fire in 2011 in the US alone. /…/

Highway vehicle fires | U.S. highway vehicle fires by year | NFPA – National Fire Protection Association /…

[My edit: Expanded the info in the hyperlink somewhat]

 

[Alpha]

Has Tesla really been impacted by the two previous fires?

I'm afraid the average person gets taken in by the headlines - no matter how hyped and sensationalized. Remember the Broder event? How many cancellations did that cause? I'm afraid that multiple fires in short order (no matter the cause or circumstances) could really hurt Tesla. I hope the lack of 2014 guidance wasn't a result of cancellations caused by the first two fires already...

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

If so, then IMO, Elon and Tesla needs to get out there and set the record straight, just like they did after Broder. IMO, that should be enough for the “average person”. And it seems that in most cases, the folks that buy this car are perfectly capable of understanding a factual explanation. And (again) – if possible, and if need be – if everyone who has a vested interest in Tesla go through what we know about all of this, then hopefully this won’t be a big problem.

 

[Alpha]

I agree with you. Stories like the following http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhMjRzvE1Ng have the potential to really hurt. The average person eats up these kinds of lies and misinformation. Elon needs to respond quickly and strongly. He has shown a propensity to do just that. Let's hope a response comes ASAP!

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

There’s a thread about that Fox Business News segment here:

Fox news does what Fox news usually does

At this point in time, that’s probably as ‘extreme’ as it can get. It would actually surprise me if Fox are able to top that one…

 

[Neech]

I'm finding it hard to defend this car. Even my parents and relatives are telling me to sell the car because its too dangerous. People will only read the headlines and ignore the causes. This isn't looking good for the company.

Heres a link you can show them about the ICE cars they think are safer. Major wake-up call and this is just in one state.

Wisconsin Fatal Accident Reports

Sounds like your family and friends need to order a Tesla today and sell those death traps with an ICE. I'm very happy that I'm driving the safest car EVER!

 

[dave]

These fires stories have made me think seriously about what I'd do in a fire - specifically because my daughter is usually in a car seat and would need assistance exiting the vehicle. I know this may be an overreaction to the news, but I am definitely going to go through some fire drills with the fam, to make sure we can all get out okay ( and are prepared to get the kids out ) if this happened to us.

 

[deonb]

I agree with you. Stories like the following http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhMjRzvE1Ng have the potential to really hurt. The average person eats up these kinds of lies and misinformation. Elon needs to respond quickly and strongly. He has shown a propensity to do just that. Let's hope a response comes ASAP!

Wow. If there was any doubt in your mind that Fox News has a clear and direct bias against Tesla & the present administration, watch that video.

Look out for what's subtly printed in the background (but not talked about), which facts she is leaving out etc. It's stunning.

 

[Alpha]

Look out for what's subtly printed in the background (but not talked about), which facts she is leaving out etc. It's stunning.

Yeah, kind of makes your blood boil with anger doesn't it? And near the beginning, the not so subtle banner about the government loan of 465 million, with no mention whatsoever that it had been paid off.

 

[mrdoubleb]

What does that have to do with this incident?

A lot. in fact i have the feeling that, unintentionally, we are contributing to some of the hysteria around Tesla.

Pre q3 earnings some analysts have started upping their estiamtes on deliveries based on the Vin tracking forum and our guessing game in the q3 forum. Not understanding what they read, pulling things out of context, they started guiding towards a 6.5-8k delivery expectation that contributed to the stock crash in a big way.

IF i read it correctly, this very thread has already been referenced by a news site as the source for their report on the 3rd fire...

we cannot do much about these things, but be mindful that "we are being watched". At the very least we can make sure we put the Tesla fire incidents in context, by pointing out e.g. Audi was just forced to recall almost 4k A7s in the US due to fire hazard with the fuel line. (I read somewhere there already were fires but cannot find the story now). There is also a recent video on Youtube abou an Audi R8 catching fire in a parking lot in france while standing still...
None of these stories have been picked up as breaking news or have tanked VW stock.

Having saidnthat, I agree we need a swift response n the latest accident by Tesla. They need to kill the story before it goes mainstream.

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

…/ Look out for what's subtly printed in the background (but not talked about), which facts she is leaving out etc. It's stunning.

Yeah, kind of makes your blood boil with anger doesn't it? And near the beginning, the not so subtle banner about the government loan of 465 million, with no mention whatsoever that it had been paid off.

This was posted 09-29-2013, 01:58 AM in a thread about another previous segment on Fox Business News where the woman in the segment you linked to above, Lauren Fix, the so called “Car Coach”, also appeared:

…/ Lauren Fix is the manager of Fix Motorsports, which is a car dealer. She also is/was a part owner of an aftermarket parts business and is a member of SEMA and Aftermarket ( Automotive ) Industry Association. ( Wikipedia and linkedin and her own webpages ) /…

Source: FOX Business News: Spreading the Sheet - Page 3

 

[tftf]

Audi was just forced to recall almost 4k A7s in the US due to fire hazard with the fuel line. (I read somewhere there already read somewhere there already were fires but cannot find the story now). There is also a recent video on Youtube abou an Audi R8 catching fire in a parking lot in france while standing still...
None of these stories have been picked up as breaking news or have tanked VW stock.

VW Group has 12 different global car brands with hundreds of car models and soon sells around 10 million cars/year. That's a big difference to Tesla with a single model on sale. The other difference imho is that people are always more skeptical towards new technologies regarding safety.

Fire incidents like this can't be suppressed in the age of social media anyway.

PS: I did warn TSLA investors in the summer and again towards the end of September 2013 (also on this forum) that the Tesla stock is overvalued in my opinion (fire or not). I have seen this happen many times over the years, Nikkei 1989, Nasdaq 1999 and then the green energy and housing boom in the 2000s. Will leave it at that.

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

I'm finding it hard to defend this car. Even my parents and relatives are telling me to sell the car because its too dangerous. People will only read the headlines and ignore the causes. This isn't looking good for the company.

Heres a link you can show them about the ICE cars they think are safer. Major wake-up call and this is just in one state.

Wisconsin Fatal Accident Reports

Sounds like your family and friends need to order a Tesla today and sell those death traps with an ICE. I'm very happy that I'm driving the safest car EVER!

– – – Updated: – – –

Neech has edited the post I’m quoting above. I have therefore decided to edit my quote of that post accordingly. The first version did however mention the following accident. And since I think it is relevant to this tread, I will keep this link to, (and quote from), an article in the Chicago Tribune:

.../ minister /.../ Duane "Scott" Willis, and his wife, Janet, both 47, are the only survivors of the freak accident Tuesday morning on a Milwaukee expressway in which the family's 1994 Plymouth Voyager minivan exploded into flames after running over a large metal piece of road debris.

Five of the Willis children, ages 6 weeks to 11 years, died in the fire. A sixth son, 13-year-old Ben, died at 12:45 a.m. Wednesday at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, Wis., a hospital spokeswoman said. [...


Source: 6th Child Dies After Van Wreck - Chicago Tribune

Beyond words.

 

[Luclyluciano]

PS: I did warn TSLA investors in the summer and again towards the end of September 2013 (also on this forum) that the Tesla stock is overvalued in my opinion (fire or not). I have seen this happen many times over the years, Nikkei 1989, Nasdaq 1999 and then the green energy and housing boom in the 2000s. Will leave it at that.

Tftf;

are you saying the overall market is over extended? In need of correction? Time to pull out?
i have several large chunks in the market. Is now the time to go to cash?

 

[polyphase]

There’s a thread about that Fox Business News segment here:

Fox news does what Fox news usually does

At this point in time, that’s probably as ‘extreme’ as it can get. It would actually surprise me if Fox are able to top that one…

Wow. That's as yellow as journalism gets. It's almost a parody. I don't know who wrote the caption on YouTube but the guest is described as a "female car expert." "Female" is a non-sequitur but it's accurate, unlike the "car expert part."

 

[Right_Said_Fred]

These fires stories have made me think seriously about what I'd do in a fire - specifically because my daughter is usually in a car seat and would need assistance exiting the vehicle. I know this may be an overreaction to the news, but I am definitely going to go through some fire drills with the fam, to make sure we can all get out okay ( and are prepared to get the kids out ) if this happened to us.

Yes you are overreacting:

- Did you do fire drills when you were driving a car with a highly combustable and explosive fuel inside, of which hundreds of thousands catch fire in the US every year?
- Did in any of the 3 fires anyone not have time (actually, not have all the time in the world) to get out of the car?
- Did in any of the 3 fires the fire reach the passenger compartment?

 

[dave]

Yes you are overreacting:

- Did you do fire drills when you were driving a car with a highly combustable and explosive fuel inside, of which hundreds of thousands catch fire in the US every year?
- Did in any of the 3 fires anyone not have time (actually, not have all the time in the world) to get out of the car?
- Did in any of the 3 fires the fire reach the passenger compartment?

No, but my children were able to pull the door handle and get out if they wanted to. My wife also knew how to open the door to get the kids out if needed. As it stands right now, neither my children or wife would immediately know what to do if the car was in flames and the door handles weren't working.

As far as the 3 fires and if they reached the passenger compartment... what are you expecting me to stay in the car because three previous fires didn't reach the cabin??

I don't really care about the details of the previous fires. The attention just made me realize that I should educate my family on how to get out, because there is a possibility of something like this happening.

 

[tray loader]

If the whole underbody is one target instead of a portion of the car between the rear axle, where the tank normally resides,
simple statistics come into effect.
After reading this wikipedia info a potential objective scientific investigation of this incident seems even harder:

 

[GDH]

These fires stories have made me think seriously about what I'd do in a fire - specifically because my daughter is usually in a car seat and would need assistance exiting the vehicle. I know this may be an overreaction to the news, but I am definitely going to go through some fire drills with the fam, to make sure we can all get out okay ( and are prepared to get the kids out ) if this happened to us.

I think that's smart, especially if you have a youngster.